“Stoll-en Moments” — Hopefully Devoted to Him?

I’ve been spending time considering how devoted I am to God. God gave it all for me by sending His son to die so I could live with Him for eternity. God, our Father, held nothing back.

What does “devotion” really mean? We may use terms such as loyalty, dedication, or love of something. Think about your spouse.  When we really love our spouses, we are devoted to them. Think about your children. You are devoted to them. If you are a fan of a sports team, you may wear the gear, and you may be devoted to them.

Colossians 4:2 says Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. The Bible teaches that as believers, we should be devoted to God in prayer. There’s nothing casual about it. It’s not to be an afterthought or taken for granted. As believers, we should be all in!

If you are married, please consider how you felt when you fell in love with the amazing person you eventually married. You really wanted to be with them…all the time… everywhere. It didn’t matter when. You were in love! You sacrificed plans, stopped hanging out with other people, perhaps dressed differently, and acted differently, all because you were in love!

Please allow me to ask you a question —Do you love God?

I’ll ask a second question. Are you “in love” with God?

So often, we desire to obey God and follow the rules. We fear God because we know He is all-powerful. Know that God wants you to love Him.

Do you long to speak with Him, hear from Him, and spend time with Him? Do you feel that familiar ache inside when you know that you need to have God near you?

That nearness comes through being devoted to God in prayer. Imagine the state of your relationship with your spouse if you rarely spoke to one another or only spoke if you needed something. Nearness to God requires an investment in time together.

C.S. Lewis said, “A man’s spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God.”

We are sinners — saved sinners, but sinners. In our fallen state, true love for God doesn’t come naturally to us. We must want to fall in love with God. We must want to give God all that we are!

Allow God to pull you close. Hug God tightly. Don’t let go!

Tom Stolle serves as the executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware